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Friday, March 28, 2014

This week I decided to review To Do or Die by Mike Shepherd
aka Mike Moscoe. It’s the fourth and latest book in the Jump Universe series,
though there are many other books out, or coming soon in the same setting but
occurring decades later. When To Do or Die begins the cruiser Patton is being
dispatched to the planet Savannah. Officially the Patton’s mission is to
transport reinforcements for the guard unit at the planet’s embassy, and to
provide protection for a Senate fact-finding committee en route to the planet to
observe upcoming elections. Unofficially, Ruth Torden, a civilian attached to the vessel’s now farming section, is
also being sent to investigate the possibility that Savannah is linked to a syndicate of drug
dealers, pirates, and slavers which the Patton battled in the second book of
the series. It doesn’t take long to discover that the current leader of the
world maintains power by terrorizing the population, and to locate the drug development center that Ruth was sent to find. This leads to a variety
of battles ranging from fistfights with corrupt cops, to running battles with
tanks through the capital city, and a desperate mission to prevent Savannah’s army
from flooding the capital.

I give this book a 7 out of 10. The story is well written,
and many of the parts concerning the investigations on Savannah are
interesting, if disturbing at times, and the ground battles were very enjoyable. But while the ground battles aren’t bad I feel that the author
does his best work in his space battle sequences, There were no space
engagements in this book and unlike the previous book I can think of at least
two places where a space battle would have fit perfectly into the story.

Monday, March 24, 2014

Today we have the John Swartzwelder comedy The Time Machine Did It. Swartzwelder wrote many of the greatest Simpsons episodes, so when I found out he also wrote a novel, I had to have it. As it turns out, he wrote a bunch of novels, but as far as I can tell, this is the first.

The zany noir story centers around inept detective Frank Burly. He's about as terrible a gumshoe as they come. Hardly anyone ever comes to him for help. This has a lot to do with the fact you have to pass three better detectives' offices on the way to his. Also, his secretary couldn't possibly get any less apathetic. Her frequent tongue lashings don't seem to bother him too much, though. "Normally, I wouldn't let an employee talk to me like that. But she's quit so many times neither one of us remembers whether she's working for me right now or not."

One day, a filthy hobo named Mandible comes to Burly with a case. All the other detectives turned him down, so Burly is his last hope. He wants the sucky detective to retrieve a figurine that has been stolen from him. Burly takes the case, but eventually discovers there's a time machine involved (he doesn't notice at first because he's so stupid). He investigates, making him the target of both a powerful crime family and corrupt cops who all want the time machine for. themselves. He ends up going back to 1941 where he gets stuck for almost a year when the device returns without him. He was clueless in the present, but in the past might be royally screwed.

The Time Machine Did It is an absolutely hilarious novel. Swartzwelder proves he still has the comedic edge even without the visual component to back him up. Watching his protagonist blunder his way across time--wrecking history in the process--and getting the crap beat out of him repeatedly gives the reader many laughs. Swartzwelder is a master of the absurd and that comes across plain as day here, particularly in the last part of the story where Burly makes a complete mess of history (including giving Abraham Lincoln a much worse death at Ford's Theatre) and gets into a fist fight with himself.

In short: If you enjoyed the golden age of the Simpsons, you'll get a real kick out of The Time Machine Did It..

Friday, March 21, 2014

This week I decided to review Star Trek: No Time Like the
Past by Greg Cox.When the story begins, the Enterprise, under Captain Kirk, has been sent with an ambassador to attempt
to convince the inhabitants of the neutral world of Yusub to stop allowing
Orion raiders to use their world as a sanctuary. Unfortunately Orion raiders
crash the initial meeting between the Federation diplomatic party and the
Yusubi leaders. During the battle Kirk and the Federation party are aided by a
mysterious woman named Annika Seven, Star Trek Voyager’s Seven of Nine, who has
found herself displaced into the past after activating an ancient device fond
in an apparent monument to Captain Kirk that Voyager had discovered in the
Delta Quadrant. After examining a gift Kirk had received from the leader of the
Yusubi, Seven discovers a piece of the device that brought her to the past,
along with a clue to the location of another piece. This leads to a journey to
many worlds that Kirk and the Enterprise have visited before while the Orions,
who have discovered that Seven is from the future, attempt to capture her, and
the Federation Ambassador wishes to use Seven’s knowledge of the future to
prevent tragedies that are yet to come.

I give the book a 9 out of 10. It was interesting to see
some of the worlds last visited in the original TV series again, the story had a few twists that surprised me, and
it ended on a happy note which is how I greatly prefer Star Trek stories to
end. However most of the battle sequences are OK but far from the author’s
best, and even the final battle between Enterprise and the Orions, which I feel
was superior to the others in the book, wasn’t great.

Monday, March 17, 2014

The story takes place in a fictional 19th-century world. Lonely orphan Bailey Jo (no last name) makes a living as a transporter. Whether its people or contraband, she'll deliver it for you. At the novel's outset, she makes a rather rough landing in the town of Wellington while transporting a group of people there in her airship Draggle. The passengers angrily disembark, and Bailey Jo proceeds to steal a part she needs to fix the Draggle. She soon runs into a street performer named Ollie Arkwright who greatly upsets her by pretending to destroy her most cherished possession. Infuriated, she leaves but is soon accosted by a group of thugs. Fortunately, Ollie shows up to save her with a large (fake) gun. She thanks him by offering to transport him somewhere. Ultimately, though, her dream is to find the mythical floating city of Landover. Ollie decides to come along for the ride. Unfortunately, for reasons Bailey Jo is reluctant to divulge, she's become the quarry of a powerful figure known only as the Professor. The Professor sends Jackdaws--mechanical birdlike assassins--after her. The pair goes from place to place, dodging the Jackdaws and meeting all sorts of colorful characters in their quest for answers. Just who is the Professor, and why is he/she so interested in Bailey Jo? How does Ollie's father fit into all this? What happened to Bailey Jo's sister? And is Bailey Jo really who she claims to be?

This is a very worthwhile read. It's well-written and features a veritable rogue's gallery of characters. Most of them have embraced mechanization of their bodies, so they'll definitely keep your interest. I also quite enjoyed the action sequences. Lexa Roi Clarke really has a flair for cinematic scenes. Even though it's just a novel, I felt like I was watching a movie. Any time you can say that about a book, you know you've got one worth reading. Normally I have a complaint or two about the novels I read, but not this one. It's just that good.

In short: I can easily recommend Skyskipper (The Ballad of Bailey Jo).

Thursday, March 13, 2014

This week I decided to review They Also Serve by Mike
Moscoe. They Also Serve is the third book in a series which currently has 4
books set in the Jump Universe, which also serves as the setting of the author’s
ongoing Kris Longknife series and his upcoming Vicky Peterwald series though
the other series are both set decades later. The book opens with the
exploration ship Second Chance mis-jumping due to sabotage. The crew finds themselves
in an unknown system when they receive a distress call from the Santa Maria,
another exploration ship lost to a mis-jump three centuries earlier. Upon
investigating the Second Chance finds a colony established by the Santa Maria’s
survivors. Soon after landing, however, the Second Chance crew members who travel
to the world make contact with an ancient AI network set up buy the races who
constructed the Jump Points humanity uses for interstellar travel. While the
first AI encountered is friendly, using nano technology to alter the newcomer’s
bodies to better adapt to the new world, and to alter their brains to allow
communication through dreams. Unfortunately the AI, known as the Gardener, is accidentally killed by the Second Chance’s crew, leading the leaders of the AI
network to see humans as a threat. And while they are deciding how to deal
with humanity the colonists are divided as the group which has a monopoly on
the colony’s copper supply and those who are tired of the monopoly’s prices and
tactics clash while the Second Chance seeks a route home.

I give the book a 8 out of 10. There were some great scenes
with the discussions between Ray Longknife, leader of the group of Second
Chance crew on the planet, and various AIs. However I still feel this author
does his best writing when the lasers are blazing and the armor of ships
melting. Not only was there no space combat in this book there was little
combat of any kind. However I feel there weren’t any places where space combat
could have been added without feeling forced, and I feel mostly the same
regarding ground combat.

Monday, March 10, 2014

The story centers around Jacob "Jolly" Fellows, a cockney thug who works in London for Bow Street Firm, a Pinkerton-type organization. Jolly's jobs range from investigative work to bounty-hunting. One day he gets sent to talk with one Dr. Saxon. Saxon has built an automaton ballerina and it has gone missing. Jolly takes his statement and leaves. He returns later to Saxon's theater to find the titular automatic woman crushing the life out of the poor doctor. Jolly manages to beat her until she stops functioning, but he passes out from injuries he sustained in the fight. He awakens later to find himself arrested for Saxon's murder. The coppers don't buy his story, and it looks like he'll hang for the crime. However, mysterious benefactors pay his bail on the condition he retrieve (steal) the homicidal automaton from the evidence locker and turn it over to them so they can study it and find out how it works. He complies, but in doing so he unwittingly becomes a pawn in a battle between criminal masterminds. He must navigate a veritable minefield populated by historical and literary figures such as Charles Darwin, Bram Stoker, Arthur Conan Doyle and mad Russian Rasputin. Does Jolly have what it takes to make it out of this alive and protect those he cares about?

Sadly, I must report the review copy I was given by Nathan Yocum is rife with poor editing. At numerous points he fails to add a space after periods, leading to flawed sentences. I don't know if the copy he's selling on Amazon suffers from this, but I urge caution when buying it.

Now, ordinarily I wouldn't recommend stories that suffer from a lack of editing. However, in this case I will do so because the plot is just that good. The narrative features compelling characters and the kind of villains you love to hate. Yocum also does a good job of conveying Jolly's simple-yet-honest nature. He's really a lovable oaf despite his lack of class. And, most importantly, the book becomes a page-turner towards the end and provides a satisfying conclusion to the story.

Bottom line: If you can look past the typos, you'll find a quality story. Just remember to sample it before handing over the money for it.

Thursday, March 6, 2014

This week I decided to review Resolute Stand by James R
Prosser. The book is the second in a series where humanity has been conquered
by the Ch’Tauk Empire. A group of former human military personnel, pirates, and
rescued slaves along with a variety of aliens have united to fight against the
Ch’Tauk. The book opens with a mission to rescue a number of human slaves than
proceeds to rebels the Human story focuses on, In the end the Battleship
Resolute and its fighters are sent to search for the missing Carrier Zeus and
her battlegroup while a group of former pirates take up the search for a
scientist rumored to have developed a weapon capable of defeating the Ch’Tauk
Empire once and for all. Meanwhile a bitter political struggle is raging at the
highest levels of Ch’Tauk military
command. In the end a betrayal brings humanity’s forces into a desperate battle
to save the world of one of their allied species from destruction at Ch’Tauk
hands.

I give the book an 7.5 out of 10. Despite me accidentally
getting the second book in the series first I had little trouble understanding
what had led to this point or even why the Ch’Tauk had chosen to declare war on
humanity. Still I wish the battle sequences were longer and more detailed and I
felt that one of the plot twists in the final battle was too predictable,

Monday, March 3, 2014

Today we have the steampunk fantasy novel Hope and the Clever Man by Mike Reeves-McMillan. We wouldn't want to keep the gnomes waiting, so here we go.

The protagonist is a girl named Hope at Merrybourne who lives at Merrybourne manor in the region of Koskant. When she was eight years old she displayed a talent for magic, so her father arranged for her to be tutored in the magical arts. This goes on until it comes time for her to choose a college to attend. She gains a scholarship to the University of Illene. She joins their magic program, and does very well until a certain incident almost derails her stay there. You see, she dates a young man named Faithful, and all seems well. Unfortunately, she catches him in bed with another girl. Hope puts a curse on his boy-parts which will activate unless he stays true to his name. The two women leave and quickly strike up a friendship. The other girl's name is Briar and she's going for a law degree.

Upon graduation, Hope and Briar get a flat together. Briar becomes a lawyer, and Hope goes to work for the Realmgold (basically the president of Koskant). She becomes an assistant to scruffy "clever man" Dignified, the Realmgold's chief inventor. Together they create the Koskant equivalent of Skype: Magic mirrors that enable people to chat with one another over long distances. The mirrors are a huge hit, and Hope and Dignified receive commendations for them.

Meanwhile, Briar befriends the gnomes that work with Hope and Dignified. As a seeker of justice, she cannot turn a blind eye to the gnomes' working conditions. You see, they're basically slaves to the dwarven people. Briar sets out to convince the Realmgold to grant them equality under the law. However, this move has serious repercussions. Can Hope, Briar, the gnomes and the clever man weather this storm and still make it to their airhorse race (yes, they invent airhorses)?

Hope and the Clever Man is an entertaining and very well-written story. I was quite impressed by the lack of typos within the narrative. It's considerably more polished than a lot of books I read, and I commend Reeves-McMillan for that. In addition, the story is refreshingly unpredictable; I honestly didn't know what was going to happen from one scene to the next. And the fact it doesn't have an obvious antagonist is a plus. The heroes of this story go to battle against social and legal evils rather than a baddie with shallow world-domination plans.

However, I should point out there's a brief sub-plot involving an attempted assault on Hope by a stranger in the middle of the night. It goes nowhere and I feel it could have been left out without causing any problems.